A Season of Hope
by esotaria
Summary: A series of short stories leading up to Sephiroth's birth. (little better?)
1. Hope and Expectation

The First Candle

Expectation and Hope

~*~*~*~

                Lucrecia Voris straightened her lab coat nervously as she walked down the halls towards the basement laboratory. In a few moments her entire future would be determined; she was going to find out if she was pregnant.

                She had just reached the laboratory door when she bumped into Professor Gast.

                "Professor!" she exclaimed.

                Professor Gast adjusted his glasses as he studied her.

                "Ms. Voris," he said slowly, obviously stalling for time as he tried to remember something. "Ah, yes! The pregnancy test." He beamed at her, making Lucrecia smile back.

                He opened the door to the lab and, flicking on the light, ushered her in.

                "Right this way, right this way." He gestured for her to sit down at a table while he scavenged through lab's mess, muttering incoherently.

                Lucrecia smiled affectionately at the distracted professor, and put a hand on her belly as if to feel if there was life within, but all she felt were butterflies.

                _Please God, please let me be pregnant_, she prayed silently. _Please oh please oh please…_

                A gentle hand on her shoulder brought Lucrecia back to the present.

                "Don't be afraid, dear," he said kindly. "Everything will work out for the best."

                Lucrecia nodded and accepted the cup he handed her.      

                "There's a bathroom over there," he continued. "Make sure you fill it up at least half-way."

                Lucrecia nodded and went to the bathroom to fulfill his order. A few minutes later she came out again, cup in hand, and handed it to him.

                "Excellent," he said. "It'll take me about an hour to test this, so just settle down, find something to do-I have some science articles, if you're interested. Or take a nap; I know the last few weeks have been stressful for you."

                Lucrecia nodded.

                "I think I'll try to sleep," she said.

                "Good, good," Gast said. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

                With a nod and a reassuring smile he went and began testing her urine. Lucrecia lay down on the laboratory bed and tried to sleep, but she was too nervous.

                _What if I'm not pregnant?_ she thought. _What will I do then?_

_                Or what if I am? What type of mother will I be? What kind of life will my child lead, constantly being studied? Will he feel like an outcast from other children? Will he be able to make friends?_

                Trying to push such worries from her mind, she began to plan for the future.

                _What will his name be? Or hers, if it's a girl? Sephiroth. Definitely Sephiroth if it's a boy, and Minerva if it's a girl._

_                Hojo will probably drag us back to Midgar for better testing equiptment, but that wouldn't be for a couple years or so. He'll be able to grow up for a little bit in Nibelheim, at least, maybe make some friends among the village children. And Shinra Headquarters has a daycare center; he could meet other children there. He'll be studied, but will still have time to make friends; Vincent and I will make sure of that._

                Vincent. Lucrecia felt a sudden, desperate need for him to be there, to hold her and support her. They'd been growing apart ever since she agreed to this experiment, and Lucrecia regretted it bitterly.

                _I miss him…_

                "Ms. Voris," Lucrecia opened her eyes as Gast's voice pierced through her reverie. He was smiling brightly, and a faint hope blossomed in her heart. "I've finished the tested. You're pregnant."

                Lucrecia closed her eyes, heart swelling with emotion.

                _Thank you thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!_

                She wanted to dance; she wanted to cry; she wanted to jump and shout and laugh. She stood quickly and hugged the professor, then raced out of the room, intent on finding Vincent.

                He was outside, sitting under a huge oak tree, looking down on the valley. She stood next to him in silence for some minutes, she panting from exertion, he not looking at her.

                "I'm pregnant," she said abruptly, as soon as she caught her breath.

                Vincent looked up and met her eyes, studying them intently.

                "I'm happy for you," he said quietly, and while he didn't sound it, Lucrecia knew that some small part of him was.

                She sat down next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

                Together they watched the sun set, one planning for the future, and the other fearing for it.

~*~*~*~

Disclaimer: Lucrecia, Gast, Vincent, Hojo, and Sephiroth belong to Squaresoft.


	2. The Peace That is to Come

The Second Candle

The Peace That is to Come

~*~*~*~

            Lucrecia rubbed the growing bulge of her belly as she picked her way carefully through the pre-dawn darkness. The tree where she and Vincent had taken to meeting was not too far off.

            Finally she found it. Vincent, predictably, was already there, sitting at its trunk, arms wrapped around his knees. He looked up as she moved to sit next to him, his contemplative features softening. They sat in silence, waiting for the sun to rise.

            "It's growing so fast," Lucrecia murmured, absently rubbing her belly.

            "Yes," Vincent agreed softly.

            Lucrecia leaned against the tree, looking up at the fading stars.

            "I wonder how he'll be able to handle it," she said.

            Vincent looked at her from the corner of his eye.

            "Who?" he asked.

            "My baby," she replied. "He'll be at the center of so much…so much will rest on his shoulders…"

            "On the shoulders of Hojo and Gast you mean," Vincent said, a tinge of bitterness in his voice. "All he will have to do is put up with their testing."

            Lucrecia flinched, and regret flooded Vincent's eyes.

            "He won't be just an experiment," she said firmly. "Yes, testing him will be important, but it's not just his blood…it's his mind too.

            "By all accounts the Cetra lived in peace and harmony with each other and with the Planet. We humans don't. But if we could understand the Cetra, how they worked and how they lived, then maybe we could resolve our own problems, and restore the Planet to life and health. People could stop fighting. We could finally live in peace."

            Vincent arched an eyebrow.

            "That's a heavy burden for one child," he said.

            Lucrecia smiled at him, her face washed with the light of dawn.

            "My baby will do great things," she said confidently.

            Vincent nodded and hesitantly took her hand and squeezed it.

            "I'm sure he will," he said quietly, never letting go of her hand.

            They sat like that, in comfortable silence, until the sun finished its rise.

~*~*~*~


	3. A Promise Almost Fulfilled

Wee! Thought I wasn't gonna make it, did ya? ^_^ Not that anybody cares. But anyway.

The Third Candle

A Promise Almost Fulfilled

~*~*~*~*~

            Professor Hojo flicked on the laboratory light as he and Lucrecia walked into the room. He gruffly gestured for her to sit on the lab bed and went about preparing the equipment. Lucrecia complied, unhurt by his brusqueness; that was just the way he was.

            And in a few short weeks, her baby would be born.

            She could just imagine the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around her unborn baby. She was going to be a mother. She thought she had understood what that meant when Gast had first given her the joyful news, but the power of that realization grew with every week that passed. She was going to bring a _life_ into this world, a little child that her mother's heart knew would do great things.

"Lie down," Hojo snapped, and Lucrecia complied, flinching as Hojo rubbed a cool gel on her rounded belly. After she adapted to the cold, however, she found the gentle, rhythmic motion soothing.

_Thump!_ She giggled as the baby kicked, startling the professor. Hojo glowered at her stomach as if to scold the baby and moved to the sink to wash his hands of the gel. He came back with the ultrasound machine, and began to move the paddle around her stomach, trying to get a good look at the child.

"How does he look?" Lucrecia asked.

"Fine, fine," Hojo muttered distractedly, his focus completely on the ultrasound screen. Lucrecia subsided, waiting patiently for the professor to finish.

Ten minutes later found the professor content with what he saw.

"Well, Ms. Voris," he said, putting away the paddle. "The child looks fine. Perfect health. I take it you still wish for the gender to be a surprise?"

            Lucrecia nodded.

            "Yes, please," she said.

            "Very well then." Hojo took a towel and began to wash the gel off her stomach. "And how are you feeling?"

            "I can't wait," she replied. "I'm really excited."

            Hojo arched an eyebrow.

            "And physically?" he asked pointedly.

            Lucrecia blushed.

            "Fine, fine," she said. "A little weak, but I suppose that's normal."

            Hojo nodded.

            "I see," he said, and jotted something down on a pad of paper that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "You may leave now."

            Lucrecia nodded as she slid off the table carefully. She walked out the room, closing the door behind her, and leaned against the wall, heaving a sigh of relief. She then smiled down at the bulge of her belly and rubbed it gently.

            "Only a few more weeks, little one," she whispered. "I can't wait."

~*~*~*~*~

Wee!! Only another week of Advent (and plotless ficlets) before I can get to the Christmas edition! A plot! A point! Yay!!


	4. Unconditional Love

The Fourth Candle

Unconditional Love

~*~*~*~

            Lucrecia tiredly flicked on the lights in her bedroom, closing the door behind her with a weary sigh and then collapsing onto her bed.

            _Gods I'm tired,_ she thought to herself. _It's as if something's draining the energy from me._ With what remained of her strength she pulled her hand off of the bed and plopped it onto her belly. She broke into a weary smile as she felt the baby kick, almost as if in response. 

            _You're going to be a feisty one, I just know it,_ she thought, too tired to voice her words. _You'll drive Professor Hojo crazy. I can see him chasing you 'round the laboratory, shouting "Come back here, you little brat!"_ She giggled at the thought, but the effort was soon too much, and she subsided, panting softly.

            _I'm growing so weak,_ she thought helplessly. _At this rate…_ She had trouble even admitting it to herself. _At this rate, will I be able to survive childbirth? Will I be strong enough? Just carrying you around for nine months has sapped me of all my strength._

            Another kick, and Lucrecia smiled.

            _I hope I shall, but, even if I'm not, it will be worth it, so long as you make it, little one. You are special._ She gently stroked her belly. _I love you so much, no matter what you do, or where I am. Even if I'm reborn in the Lifestream, I will love you. You are my precious baby._

_            I love you._

            Lucrecia drifted into a deep slumber with that thought in her mind and a gentle smile on her lips.

~*~*~*~

Wee!! The shortest, most pointless, and, thankfully, LAST of the plotless ficlets! This Wednesday-THE CHRISTMAS PIECE! *dances. Lower back cries out in protest and she falls to the ground, whimpering pitifully* Hopefully Wednesday's will make up for the randomness of these last four.


	5. The Fulfillment of the Promise

The Fifth Candle

Fulfillment of the Promise

~*~*~*~

            The child's cries were strong and loud as Professor Gast gently washed it free of blood. He smiled sadly at the tiny infant, stroking its face gently. He studiously ignored the lab assistant covering Lucrecia's body.

            "Aye, but you're a healthy one," he murmured. "If your mother could see you now." He shook his head and carried the infant to the cradle they had placed beside Lucrecia's bed…what had become her deathbed. He placed the infant inside, then knelt beside it, studying the infant behind the bars. To his surprise and amusement he found the infant studying him back.

            "You're certainly a bright one," he said. "I wonder if that's from the Ancient or your mother." The baby yawned, making Gast laugh. "Not that you care, I see."

            Gast's expression grew ponderous.

            "Do you understand," he mused, "just how important you are, little Sephiroth? Do you know just how special you are, just how much you have to teach?" He reached through the crib bars and stroked Sephiroth's cheek with a  calloused finger. Then, heaving a great sigh, he stood. "I hope you do. And I must be going." His eyes grew haunted. "Damn Hojo for not admitting him entrance. I don't know how I'm going to tell Vincent Lucrecia's dead. He should have been there!" Gast shook his head. "But it's too late for regret, no matter how well-founded. The news must be broken, and I wouldn't have Hojo do it if the President gave me ten million gil. Wish me luck, little one." Sephiroth gurgled quietly, raising Gast's spirits just a little as walked out of the laboratory door. His only entertainment gone, Sephiroth yawned again, and drifted into a fitful sleep.

            The sound of the door opening woke him from his slumber, and Sephiroth studied the stranger that crept into the room. The man made his way to the crib, and stood for a moment, stroking the baby's cheek, both silent.

            "You have her eyes," the man whispered at last. "I couldn't save her, but I will save you. Hojo can't have you!" With that passionate declaration he moved to pick the infant up when a shot sounded. Sephiroth let out a fearful wail as the man gurgled sickly, then fell to his knees, collapsed against the rail of the crib.

            Someone chuckled sinisterly, and Professor Hojo walked towards the crib, pocketing a gun.

            "Nice try, Mr. Valentine," he said. "But futile in the end. I win." He shoved Vincent's body aside, muttering distractedly about demon implants and synthetic arms, and then knelt to speak with the baby.

            "An idiot," he said. "Trying to take you away. Hmph! You're mine, and there's nothing he or Gast can do to change that!" He tried to touch the child, but Sephiroth shied away from his hand, whimpering fearfully. Hojo chuckled. "You're certainly a smart one. Good, good. Maybe then you'll understand my plans for you."

            He leaned forward.

            "You were born with Jenova cells," he said, "but I've decided to see if continued injections of them will increase your abilities. You'll also be showered with Mako. You see, child, I am going to make you the strongest, smartest, most perfect man in the world. You are going to be a testament to my genius. All of Gast's 'brilliant' works with PALE before you! I'll show them all what **true** talent is." He chuckled as he stood. "Be proud, boy. You are my "magnum opus", and I will **never, ever** let anyone take you away."

            Sephiroth let out a fearful shriek, as if he understood that he was trapped in a gilded cage in hell. He cried, he wailed, he sobbed until his throat was hoarse and the only sound he could make were chocked whimpers, but nobody heard.

            Dawn approached, and the brightest star faded out of the sky. 

~*~*~*~

Owari

~*~*~*~

It's DONE!! *dances* Didn't turn out quite the way I hoped, but things rarely do. I hope, at least, that it brought you all a bit of pleasure. Merry Christmas!

Oh, and here's a little thing. You may or may not have been able to tell, but I had Gast, Vincent, and Hojo symbolize the three wise men. If you can guess which gift each brought (i.e. gold, frankincense, myrrh) I'll do….something. You want a fic, I'll give you a fic. You want a hug, I'll give you a hug. I won't give up writing, but most anything else is fair game. ^_^


End file.
